Clothing Answers

What were the first shoes made of tires?

Sandals made from discarded tires were often used by villagers and guerrilla soldiers in Vietnam during the US conflict there. The material was durable and generally available from destroyed or abandoned vehicles.

In present-day Ethiopia, enterprising tradesman use rubber from old tires to make soles for inexpensive shoes.

The modern recycling movement has had limited success with recycling tires, as most are made of synthetic rubber.